Fitness - current information in the AIQUM Glossary

Fitness Glossary

In general, fitness represents physical as well as mental harmony. Fitness conveys that someone is capable of being able to bear up under the strain of daily life, as well as work.

It is difficult to define fitness, as different groups and people associate different meanings with it

So, fitness can be defined by the simultaneous attributes of power, endurance, movement and coordination, amongst others. It is certainly much more, as we should not forget mental fitness too!

Fitness: what does this modern catch phrase mean? General, balanced fitness training can demonstrably decrease the risks of the diseases of modern civilisation in the industrial countries, but fitness can do a lot more:

Meanwhile, it has become certain that fitness can reduce the risk of diseases like heart attacks, strokes and obesity, even prevent them. Mental fitness improves concentration and increases the learning capacity.

And real, regulated fitness definitely releases a fountain of youth, as with real fitness you cannot only defy certain diseases, but even delay the aging process!

Not only regular exercise belongs to physical and mental fitness, but nutrition also plays an important role. Therefore, fitness nutrition should include a nutrient and fibre rich balanced diet, where possible.

Smoking, but also alcohol and other drugs do not only work against the fitness ideals, but also inhibit fitness on both the physical and mental level.

History of the fitness movement:

The start of the fitness movement’s ideology was at the start of the 19 hundreds.

Exercise in the fresh air was accepted as a way to balance the increasing industrialisation of the world. There were already numerous places, so-called places of power and art and light and air baths, the forerunners of our modern day fitness studios and chains.

Fitness equipment, bicycles, magazines came into existence and brought about the beginning of the current fitness era, which generates billions of pounds turnover annually.

The Swiss man, Jack Günthard, belongs to the pioneers of the fitness movement. His morning fitness radio shows “Fit with Jack” from 1976, were supposed to awaken health consciousness and thoughts about fitness in his listeners. Of course, today there are a variety of numerous fitness centres and gyms, even chains, in which people who want to can train, for a price.

In a nutshell, fitness is a universally understandable term, because in principle every sporting activity, which is focussed on healthy movement, can already be seen as fitness training.

Fitness training, which is a means to reach a target, should include endurance training, as well as weight training, movement training and coordination training.

The huge fitness boom, which has greatly increased since that time, took hold in the eighties and is still going strong today.